{"id":8039,"date":"2025-04-11T07:38:09","date_gmt":"2025-04-11T11:38:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.silvercentury.org\/?p=8039"},"modified":"2025-04-13T08:03:02","modified_gmt":"2025-04-13T12:03:02","slug":"how-to-lower-the-risk-that-youll-be-hospitalized-or-die","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/2025\/04\/how-to-lower-the-risk-that-youll-be-hospitalized-or-die\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Lower the Risk That You\u2019ll Be Hospitalized or Die"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2006, Carmen Emery endured a bad case of shingles\u2014just before the vaccine became available. She spent months in agonizing pain. Afterward, she got the shot as soon as she could and encouraged family and friends to get theirs too. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI’ve told everyone to get the vaccine,\u201d Emery said. \u201cIf they’re not convinced, I’ll show them the scars on my back.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Now Emery is staying up to date on the recommended vaccinations for older adults. Most recently, she got the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine to protect herself as well as her husband, who has asthma and other chronic lung issues.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, many older adults aren\u2019t following Emery\u2019s example. Only about one-quarter of adults ages 65 and up in the United States are getting all of their recommended vaccinations, according to the <\/span>2022 National Health Interview Survey<\/span><\/a> (NHIS).  <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSubstantial improvement in adult vaccination uptake is needed to reduce the burden of vaccine-preventable diseases nationally,\u201d according to the NHIS report. \u201cIncreasing the proportion of adults who receive recommended age-appropriate vaccines \u2026 is a high-priority public health issue.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Study after study confirms that vaccines keep older adults healthier and less susceptible to hospitalization, severe illness and death, according to Judith Ford, MD, chief clinical officer for Archwell Health, a primary care company for adults 60 and older. She ticks off a list: COVID vaccines reduced deaths by 59 percent from December 2020 to March 2023, when 96 percent of the casualties who died were over 60; the RSV vaccine is up to 80 percent effective in preventing hospitalization among immunocompromised adults over 60; patients vaccinated with the flu shot had a 26 percent lower rate of ICU admission and 31 percent lower risk of death.  <\/span><\/p>\n

Changing Immune Systems<\/b><\/p>\n

As people age, their immune systems naturally weaken\u2014a process called immunosenescence. This decline makes it harder for the body to fight off infections, leaving older adults more vulnerable to severe illness or even death. That\u2019s why, when the flu sends hundreds of thousands to the hospital and causes tens of thousands of deaths, the majority of them are older adults. Vaccines provide a crucial defense. <\/span><\/p>\n

Most older adults know the drill when it comes to annual flu shots and the widely publicized COVID-19 vaccines and boosters, but not all are aware of the growing<\/span> list of vaccinations recommended<\/span><\/a> by the Centers for Disease Control for people 50 and up.<\/span><\/p>\n

In August 2024, the CDC updated its guidelines to recommend a single dose of the RSV vaccine for adults 75 and older, or 60 and up for those living in residential facilities or with high-risk conditions. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOver the past decade or so, we\u2019ve been seeing increasingly severe RSV infections in our older adult patients,\u201d said Laurie Archbald-Pannone, MD, associate professor of geriatrics at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. A study published in <\/span>JAMA<\/span><\/i> in 2024 showed that vaccinated older adults were 75 percent less likely to be hospitalized for RSV compared to their unvaccinated peers. <\/span><\/p>\n

The shingles vaccine was also added to the CDC\u2019s list in recent decades. Zostavax debuted in 2006, followed by a more effective successor, Shingrix, in 2017. The CDC now recommends the Shingrix vaccine, given in two doses, for people over 50.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other CDC-recommended vaccines include: <\/span><\/p>\n